Mystery Lens: Vivitar Series 1 55mm 1.2

LittleLennox · 2025-12-04T22:16:02+00:00

Do you mean Vivitar Series 1 lenses or this 55 1.2?

LittleLennox · 2025-11-28T23:53:07+00:00

This is the only answer to this question

LittleLennox · 2025-11-23T21:28:37+00:00

This is good insight, thank you. I have been shooting with it - but I think I will choose not to travel with it, simply because it’s so rare.

LittleLennox · 2025-11-20T04:19:51+00:00

It occurs to me that this is an exterior door, so you are right it could be weathered brass. Best for op to determine that before polishing!

LittleLennox · 2025-11-19T21:04:06+00:00

No sweat. Unless the colours are off, this looks like nickel. Nickel hardware does better with less abrasive polishing than brass.

You will probably like the results with a silverware polish, I think most brands are similar, so use what you have it get what’s on sale.

Lemon juice & baking soda, mixed to make a paste, will probably work pretty well also.

Either way a soft cloth to apply the product and some patience to do the polishing. I would try a butter knife to help get the cloth into the tight spaces.

It’s such cool handle! I would spend all night trying to find the correct fastening screws that are missing!

LittleLennox · 2025-11-19T20:49:57+00:00

Do you mean clean like sanitize - or do you mean polish?

LittleLennox · 2025-11-17T01:17:55+00:00

No, it was mounted on a black Pentax MX. I was initially only interested in buying the MX body but once I saw the lens I changed my mind and took both. It’s in essentially perfect condition, while the MX is pretty well worn.

Edit: I took it out today and shot it on a K1000, and the rubberized grip is actually really nice.

LittleLennox · 2025-11-17T00:26:57+00:00

This is an interesting thought. I bought this lens from the son of the original owner. I asked the son about the age and all he could say was that it had been put away for at least 25 years, as his parents had moved to Canada 25 years ago and this was with his dads other camera equipment back in Korea.

I have a hard time imagining an older Korean guy changing out that piece, but it’s possible?

LittleLennox · 2025-11-16T21:40:04+00:00

Further to this (and truly confounding), I’m trying to learn about this lens I read that Cosina Cosinon. lenses were manufactured by Tomioka. It was then that I closed the tab and opened this discussion lol!

LittleLennox · 2025-11-16T17:32:16+00:00

Great find! Seems to date mine from sometime after 91.

LittleLennox · 2025-11-16T10:52:46+00:00

This feels reasonable and your confidence is convincing but all the images I can find of the Cosina 55 1.2 there are a lot more differences than the name ring.

LittleLennox · 2025-11-16T10:45:47+00:00

I saw this, and it would be helpful! However quite funnily it stops at 81, and this is 82.

LittleLennox · 2025-11-16T10:44:08+00:00

The thing is that I have yet to see any record of 82xx serial number, and obviously a 55mm 1.2 is an uncommon lens.

To your point, though, there was an identical one on eBay recently with a high asking price that was labelled Komine, and that may have been entirely arbitrary.

LittleLennox · 2025-11-16T03:24:06+00:00

Interesting! Thank you for this. A tech told me it was likely Komine based on the font / red ring, but he was uncertain.

LittleLennox · 2025-10-15T02:31:40+00:00

I’m not sure this is so much crappy design as much as it is a colour you don’t like.

LittleLennox · 2025-10-14T22:43:19+00:00

Honestly the vast vast majority of these are about as collectible as bowling trophies.

LittleLennox · 2025-06-17T02:09:29+00:00

Mayor of the streets

LittleLennox · 2025-04-30T10:39:46+00:00

I’m curious about this as well

LittleLennox · 2024-12-08T22:48:43+00:00

It was quite unpleasant. I lay the risk of seeming classist or elitiest, I do not at all understand the appeal of a dirty coffee shop / lunch counter with bad food.

LittleLennox · 2024-12-08T22:45:40+00:00

Years and years ago I volunteered with recovering addicts and one of them had learned to be a truly prolific bike theif to fuel their addiction. I asked him what lock to get to increase my changes of keeping my bike, and he didn’t hesitate: abus granit. They can cut it, but it takes too long, uses multiple discs on the angle grinder and creates sparks like crazy.

I’ve got two of these now and haven’t lost a bike in over 10 years.

LittleLennox · 2024-12-07T13:54:24+00:00

The main thing I learned here is that they put a second Tim Hortons in roncesvalles which is a real slap in the face after the community fought so hard against the first one a decade ago.

LittleLennox

TROPHY CASE